- Joined
- Jun 20, 2004
- Messages
- 3,527
- Real Name
- Richard W
We're not talking about the same things.
Many people have stated that CASINO ROYALE is too long, and now they're planning to make it longer for DVD. In view of the approach the producers decided to take to the story, the addition of deleted scenes isn't going to improve it one iota. It's just a cynical ploy to squeeze more nickels and dimes out of you.
What are you babbling about?
Go climb your thumb, fool.
Don't strain your brain on your way up.
Ian Fleming's novel CASINO ROYALE is a character-driven thriller, a film noir waiting to happen. To see it reduced to an exercise in political correctness and shallow posturing is disheartening. The novel lends itself very well to the action formula, but I expected more fidelity to the underlying subtext and drama that makes the novel so memorable. The book and the movie are about two completely different sets of characters who share only the same names and a vaguely similar framework. In the film, Bond is a moron who doesn't care about right and wrong, M is a condescending nagging shrew, and Vesper is a snob and a critic with better things to do. The writers dispense with their only intelligent contribution in the pre-title sequence -- they don't have the talent to sustain genuine dramatic tension -- namely the two kills and learning the tradecraft of espionage, which should be the arc of Bond's character, so that he achieves double-o status at the very end of the film. Instead, the writers organize every scene into a criticism of the Bond concept and of his character. I've read the scripts and studied the film, and I can't buy into this new subtext for a second.
The only thing I like is the opening titles, which are inspired, among the best of the franchise, and perfectly suited to Fleming's story. The lyrics are good, too, but the song needed to be sung by someone who can.
Has anyone seen ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE ? That film strikes all the right notes. A lot of thought went into the Bond character, into the female lead Tracy, and how their relationship works. It's an intelligent story with a believable romance and plenty of non-superman action, successful as drama and very entertaining. In comparison, CASINO ROYALE unfolds like a debate between dumb and dumber.
Over the years the Bond franchise has become such an institution that each installment will make money regardless of the quality. Audience expectations are so low that if the producers stuffed a dead cat into a tuxedo and called him James Bond people like Tony J. Case would cheer it on. If that's all you want, it's okay with me. Personally I dislike CASINO ROYALE and I don't accept its message.
Many people have stated that CASINO ROYALE is too long, and now they're planning to make it longer for DVD. In view of the approach the producers decided to take to the story, the addition of deleted scenes isn't going to improve it one iota. It's just a cynical ploy to squeeze more nickels and dimes out of you.
What are you babbling about?
Go climb your thumb, fool.
Don't strain your brain on your way up.
Ian Fleming's novel CASINO ROYALE is a character-driven thriller, a film noir waiting to happen. To see it reduced to an exercise in political correctness and shallow posturing is disheartening. The novel lends itself very well to the action formula, but I expected more fidelity to the underlying subtext and drama that makes the novel so memorable. The book and the movie are about two completely different sets of characters who share only the same names and a vaguely similar framework. In the film, Bond is a moron who doesn't care about right and wrong, M is a condescending nagging shrew, and Vesper is a snob and a critic with better things to do. The writers dispense with their only intelligent contribution in the pre-title sequence -- they don't have the talent to sustain genuine dramatic tension -- namely the two kills and learning the tradecraft of espionage, which should be the arc of Bond's character, so that he achieves double-o status at the very end of the film. Instead, the writers organize every scene into a criticism of the Bond concept and of his character. I've read the scripts and studied the film, and I can't buy into this new subtext for a second.
The only thing I like is the opening titles, which are inspired, among the best of the franchise, and perfectly suited to Fleming's story. The lyrics are good, too, but the song needed to be sung by someone who can.
Has anyone seen ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE ? That film strikes all the right notes. A lot of thought went into the Bond character, into the female lead Tracy, and how their relationship works. It's an intelligent story with a believable romance and plenty of non-superman action, successful as drama and very entertaining. In comparison, CASINO ROYALE unfolds like a debate between dumb and dumber.
Over the years the Bond franchise has become such an institution that each installment will make money regardless of the quality. Audience expectations are so low that if the producers stuffed a dead cat into a tuxedo and called him James Bond people like Tony J. Case would cheer it on. If that's all you want, it's okay with me. Personally I dislike CASINO ROYALE and I don't accept its message.